1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a medical image diagnosis apparatus for diagnosing a diseased part from a CT image or MRI image of a subject, an X-ray CT apparatus that acquires a CT image, and an image processor that detects a candidate for an abnormal part from the CT image or MRI image.
2. Description of the Related Art
A computer-aided diagnosis (hereinafter referred to as “CAD”) apparatus receives a reconstructed image of a subject acquired by, for example, an X-ray CT apparatus. The CAD apparatus executes a diagnosis-assisting algorithm corresponding to a corresponding tissue region, such as a lung field region, from the reconstructed image of the subject received from, for example, the X-ray CT apparatus, thereby detecting a diseased part. As such, the CAD apparatus processes an image of a subject, such as a patient, which is acquired clinically, using a computer, then detects the feature or part of a disease of a target tissue region, for example, a lung cancer of a lung field region or a liver cancer of a liver region, and then digitalizes the features of the disease, thereby supporting doctor's diagnosis.
The image of the subject, such as a patient, is a reconstructed image (CT image) that is obtained by acquiring plural kinds of projection data of a subject by, for example, an X-ray CT apparatus, and reconstructing the projection data. The feature or part of the disease acquired by the CAD apparatus, or the digitalized data of the feature of the disease is transmitted to, for example, an image reading terminal.
In executing the CAD apparatus to support doctor's diagnosis, it is necessary to designate an extracted position of a target tissue region from a CT image acquired by the X-ray CT apparatus prior to execution of the CAD apparatus. This is because the image of the target tissue region in the subject is extracted from the CT image.
The designation of the extraction position of the target tissue region is performed by user's operation. For example, when the feature or part of a liver cancer is detected automatically and the feature of the liver cancer is digitalized, identification of a liver region is required before the diagnosis-assisting algorithm is executed in the CAD apparatus. That is, the CAD apparatus holds, for example, each diagnosis-assisting algorithm corresponding to a target tissue region, such as a lung field region or a liver region. The CAD apparatus executes a diagnosis-assisting algorithm corresponding to a target tissue region extracted from a CT image for diagnosis processing.
The CT image has a wide region. It is technically difficult to specify the position of a liver from the CT image. Even if it is possible to specify the position of a liver from the CT image, long processing time is taken until the position of the liver is specified. Therefore, when the position of a liver is specified from the CT image, often, a user sets, for example, a reference position, or designates a region having the possibility that a liver exists.
As such, the operating of designating the extracted position of a target tissue region to be extracted from a CT image is performed by a user. Therefore, execution of the diagnosis-assisting algorithm in the CAD apparatus is made after the operation of designation of the extracted position of a target tissue region by a user. In the CAD apparatus, several minutes are generally required to complete processing of the diagnosis-assisting algorithm.
However, after acquisition of a CT image of a subject by the X-ray CT apparatus, the operation of designating the extracted position of a target tissue region is performed by a user. Thereafter, the processing of the diagnosis-assisting algorithm in the CAD apparatus is performed. Therefore, after the acquisition of a CT image of a subject by the X-ray CT apparatus, the processing of the diagnosis-assisting algorithm is completed, and stand-by time is required to start image reading.